Radon Exam Study Guide 2024 with complete solution

Radon Exam Study Guide 2024 with complete solution Nucleus of an atom Contains one or more positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons Number of protons Atomic number of an element reflects the.... Mass = Number of protons and neutrons Radon 222 (mass #) 86 protons (atomic number) and 136 neutrons Ion Atom that either lost or gained electrons Radon Major source is from soil Produced by natural decay of radium Gas that moves easily through small spaces Half life 3.8 days (Gas, inert, no static electrical charge) Radium A decay product of uranium found in rock and soil - U238 --> R226 --> Rn222 Half life Half of radon in a sealed volume will decay in 3.8 days, half of the remainder in the next 3.8 days etc. Thorium 232 --> radon 220 Half life of 55 seconds, therefore is less important than radon 222 exposure Alpha particules Polonium 218 & polonium 214 Greater health risk, damaging DNA molecules of living cells Relatively massive but low penetrating power and slow in movement Gamma Rays High penetrating power and move at speed of light Level of radioactivity Measured in curies One picoCurie 1 trillionth of a curie One pCi/L 2.22 disintegrations per minute/per liter of air Radon decay products (RDP) Radon decays into a series of elements and isotopes - First 4 have a short half-life (30 minutes or less) - Polonium 218 & polonium 214 - Lead 214 & Bismuth 214 Measured in working levels (particles, chemically reactive, static electrical charge, major health risk b/c stick to lungs) Working Level (WL) Concentration of RDPs in air - Alpha energy released from polonium